The Bettencourt family is originally from France, the Normandy region, place of Bethancourt, in Picardy, so his nickname is the root signpost.
The first of this family to reach the Iberian Peninsula was Messire Jehan de Bethancourt or Jean Bettencourt went to the discovery that the command of a fleet of ships, came to find the Canary Islands, of which King was entitled.
Jean Bettencourt had no sons, so his heirs were lying low and Henri Bettencourt of Bettencourt and her siblings.
Died lying low, Henri de Bettencourt those sold to Prince Islands Henry of Portugal, then moving to the island of Madeira, where he settled and took the soap from the island.
Jean Bettencourt also had no legitimate offspring to be Knight of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, at the time called the Order of Rhodes.
However got the legitimization of an illegitimate daughter, who was married with Rui Goncalves da Camara, of which marriage there was also no descendants.

Coat of Arms of Bettencourt family.

Given that fact with the wife said her husband established the scion that came to be known as Morgan Mel Waters, calling for its first administrator Germano Gaspar de Bethancourt, his cousin.
This Germano Gaspar de Bethancourt had much seed, which was dispersed in both the Atlantic islands and the mainland Portuguese whose name has been misrepresented for Bethencourt and popularized under the most diverse forms: Bettencourt, or Betencour Betencur, Bittencourt, etc....
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